Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)

I liked the guy who talks to his parts.

 

I've done that several times - particularly when I've dropped something.

 

"B@st@rd!" :D

Edited by WillFly
Posted

I tried that but carrying a conversation with myself always ends in a fight! :)

 

Seriously now, the use of the tweezers and the proper way to turn them while holding the parts...that's what really got me. One way NOT to drop any more bits!

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

Posted

Thanks for the link - what a great documentary.

 

It really shows that the "jobs" are really labours of love, and that a prerequisite is more than a touch of OCD (or, as a friend says, CDO: that is OCD but in alphabetical order AS IT SHOULD BE...!)

 

The whole mindset of being EXACT is not dissimilar to the mindset we need in my line of work. I'm a Thoracic and Vascular surgeon, and operating on the arteries supplying somebody's brain, under a microscope at 45x, can be frustrating to someone who is not of the calm, relaxed, and precise mindset. We weed out those trainees who don't quite have "it" - they often go on to become orthopaedic surgeons! ;)

 

I'm just starting out messing about with watches, and although I find it engrossing to watch, for example, one of Mark's videos showing how to strip down, clean, then rebuild a movement, the thing that keeps coming to mind is that all those components that he is so lovingly putting together so precisely all have to be made. Somebody, somewhere, has actually created the tiny pieces, balanced the balance wheels, made the hairsprings, engineered the gears and cogs, the palet "teeth" and shaped all the jewels. All before Mark can assemble them. They all have to be created to within a micron or two, as pointed out in the film. And THAT is even more amazing than being able to take a movement apart and put it together again, to me. 

 

My only other comment is that people who are SO precise in everything they do, and who nudge a picture that is half a degree out of square on the wall, can be very difficult to live with. So I'm forever grateful to my lovely wife (a nurse who is at least as OCD as I am) for putting up with me. And I suspect that most of the characters in that doco would have a delicate balancing act to do in order to keep harmony at home, while being so precise at work.

 

Thanks again for the link - excellent stuff :)

Posted

Definietly some excellent tips to pick up from watching these pros in action. Now I'll have to convince my wife I "need" a microscope so I can change pallet stones like the experts! I'm amazed at the precision AND speed with which they work. Slow and steady is my personal motto!

Posted

Thanks for the link. I'll have to re-watch it, as there is a ton of stuff to learn from it. What I took most from the first watching was, "Often...you're too hasty or too irritated, you do stupid things." I've been learning that through direct experience of late. I really have to make myself take a break or even stop for the day when things aren't going well. Watch movements aren't something you can just power through.

Posted

Amen to that Don!  I just walked away from my bench as I was getting way too excited about dismantling the hairspring from the balance assembly for the first time.  I decided instead, to finish taking photos and leaving it at that for the night.  I also realized my smallest screwdriver (0.60mm) may not be small enough for the hairspring stud retaining screw :unsure: .

Roger

Posted

I've just watches the video and knowing what I know now, that is the sort of work I would have revelled in. :). Unfortunately the only clock you can't turn back is the clock of life. :(

Posted

Geo: I can only suggest, "it's never too late".

It is at my age Roger, who want's a sixty four year old apprentice! :(

Posted

I certainly is never too late. We have a medical student at the moment, just completed his second year, who is 64 currently. His life's ambition was to become a doctor, and he intends to do that. He thinks that he will have an actualy working life of 3-5 years after he graduates, but I suspect he may go longer than that. He won't be doing any post-graduate specialty training (surgery, etc) but will probably make a very good General Practitioner for several years. And most of all, he is doing it because HE wants to do it. He is coping with the course itself very well, even though his colleagues are all in their early 20s. Many of them struggle with the amount of work, but he is sailing through.

 

I can sum it up, George: GO FOR IT...!

Posted

I can sum it up, George: GO FOR IT...!

Hi Pete, thanks for the enthusiastic suggestion, but I'll stick horological dabbling and helping folk where I can along the road where I can. :)

  • Like 1

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Hello and welcome to the fo4um. Enjoy
    • Welcome to the forum, enjoy.
    • You're asking a pretty broad question and you didn't specify the machine but yes it's simple especially if you have the right machine. The question has problems but I'll take it as it is. Is it really that simple yes especially if you have the right machine. So in the video below he's making a screw and yes it really is that simple but pay attention to the machine it is not simple at all probably wasn't cheap but it is small it will probably fit in your garage. Unfortunately wouldn't fit in my garage as it's far too cluttered up with things. In the video he talks about making a screw and pay attention to the machine. The machine has lots and lots and lots of cutters and lots of things to do lots of machining all-in-one machine conceivably one step after another all programmable. If you look at his channel lots of CNC's stuff and there are several other videos related to this machine. He goes to the factory where they talk about it and show all the other machines they make in Switzerland.  I did look up the specifications the machine I don't recall the price it's not going to cut wheels I think it has a maximum diameter around 11 mm basically it's really good for making small diameter watch parts. Then in one of the other videos he goes to a factory that used to make parts with waterpowered machinery been in business for 100 years and everything they now make is made with CNC machines including this one. What was interesting with the factory photo was that when they make some parts they can put them on a optical comparator comparator compares with whatever the reference is and the machine can be programmed to adjust its cutting to make sure everything is actually being made to specifications. Oh and then somewhere in all of this there was at least one picture of a balance staff can't have a CNC Swiss machine without making balance staffs.   It would be really nice if we had pictures of the machine. Then yes if you look at the page for wheel cutting you can enter parameters and it will generate a G code but he left out things? Notice he has a picture of a complete wheel but the G code isn't making a complete wheel it's only cutting the gear teeth I don't see whereas the program for crossing out the spokes? Typically when you see people cutting gears once the teeth are cut most the time the spokes are cut by hand. Occasionally someone will mill them out but typically not with the program which seems strange if you have CNC capability for instance one of my friends fill it used to design assembly line equipment or things to make things. So his hobby was to continue to make tools to make things like clocks. Very interesting and clever clocks but his true fund was making the machines to make the clocks. Then machine is not controlled by G code like we would typically find today as the stepping motor controller he has was made a long time ago and the individual controllers used a textbased program. So the company had a editor you could write a program to cause each the stepping motors to do something. So basically once you figure out how to cut a gear he would just change the parameters for different size gears so here's an example of a gear as you can see we have the teeth and the spokes. Then we have a picture the machine which sucks because it would've been so much nicer if I could've taken a picture when it was cutting a gears so we can see things better. Then yes there is a worm gear stepping motor indexing this is a mini lathe and the indexing is at the end of the lathe head hiding. The basic operation of this machine would be brass sheet not cut to a specific diameter size not even round mounted on the machine. Then it turns and a milling cutter will cut the diameter. Then the gear would be cut with a gear cutter. The same mill cutter for the diameter although conceivably change the size I don't know but basically the same milling for cutting the outer diameter would be used to cut the spokes. I really can't remember how he did the center hole but whatever it was was very precise.          
    • Yeah I know the site and the creator of it.  the two video clips are good examples of the quicker method and a full tear down.  the quick method will work in many cases. But not always and not for all the different movements.  I strongly suggest to not bend the four tabs as was done in the first clip.  Instead there are three tabs that insert into the top plate, Much saver way as to not break a tab.
    • I found a motor that is 3/4 hp and another that is 1.2hp. They come with speed controller. So I don’t think I would need a wiring diagram. But I sure appreciate you offering your help! Do you think 1.2 hp would be too much for a watchmaker’s lathe?
×
×
  • Create New...